For many of us, a large portion of our days is spent at work. Research shows the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime.

So the people you work with do become family.

When Eldon, our organization’s CFO, decided to retire after 28 years, his work family wanted to find a special gift for him to remember us by.

Work Family Tree | Unique & Memorable Retirement Gift

I found a birch tree on Etsy that was perfect for for the addition of thumb or finger prints of each employee. This is an office gift that allows everyone to participate.

We have almost 100 employees, and it wasn’t easy sneaking around to different offices and conference rooms to have everyone place their thumb or finger print on the tree. But it was worth it for the end result!

Three colors for the thumb prints were chosen. Green, gold and grey to represent a change in the season–just like retirement is a change in a person’s life.

Some employees were creative with their thumb prints by making them look like leaves falling to the ground. Pretty clever!

OHFA Family Tree

Our company is in the housing business and for that thoughtful twist we added our house-shaped logo and the words “OHFA Family Tree.”

Eldon loved it! You could tell by his grin from ear to ear!

Thumb print gifts are unique and allow everyone to add their personal touch.

National Park Coin Sets

The back of each quarter features the name and iconic image of a different national park in one of the 50 states.

For a Christmas gift, I gave my son 5 national park quarters. He went crazy! He felt rich, and he liked looking at the pictures on the back. In his excitement, he turned to me and asked, “Can we go to all of them?!”

It turned into an educational opportunity for him to learn about the names of national parks and the names of the states.

Toys are great, but sometimes a child doesn’t need another toy. Right, Mom and Dad?

When my best friend’s daughter turned a year old, I came up with a gift EVERY one-year old and two-year old NEEDS.

I came up with this gift idea after I finished potty training my two-year old son only 3 months after his 2nd birthday.

Good-bye dirty, stinky diapers and annoying diaper bag I’ve been lugging around for two years.

I’d like to take this moment to do a *happy dance*. For a parent, the excitement of fully potty training your child is right up there with watching them take their first steps.

This was my best friend’s first child so she has never gone through the process of potty training before. I’m a big believer in starting the conversation early so I gave her daughter the birthday gift of a Potty Training Starter Kit.Continue Reading

Daddy’s First Milestones Gift

Every time he achieves one of the milestones, he gets to crack open one of his favorite beers!

The stickers are hilarious. For example, the sticker for Time He Gets Peed On reads:

Some things are just out of your control–like the weather, your favorite team’s winning record, and most importantly, your child’s bladder. Congratulations, you got peed on and are now officially a dad!

Ever heard of socks that support the midfoot? Me neither until now. Now my whole family wears it!

They feel wonderful on my flat feet because of their comfort, support, and softness.

My son loves Bombas because he always turned his socks inside out so he wouldn’t feel that annoying seam across his toes. Bombas found a way to get rid of it!

They also have anti-microbial and moisture-wicking properties to keep feet dry all day which makes them perfect for my husband’s feet.

The name Bombas is derived from the Latin word for bumblebee. Bees live in a hive and work together to make their world a better place. They’re small but their combined actions have a big impact on the world.

Socks are the #1 most requested clothing item at homeless shelters. This fact is the driving force behind Bombas–to support the homeless community and to bring awareness to this problem in the United States.

I work for an organization that provides housing to the homeless and every Christmas we collect socks for homeless shelters. So you can see why I would be intrigued not only in the comfort of the socks but also in a charitable company like Bombas with a mission of giving back to communities.